Message from the President: Perry McGaugh
Dear Friends and Neighbors:
We move into the summer of 2019 in a much better position than we were in last year. Our community had to overcome in 2018 a devastating tornado and the impending collapse of the culverts on the road leading into Browning Creek. Today, the pavilion and culverts have been repaired/replaced and our community remains on solid financial footing. Paving has taken place on the worst of our roads. Special thanks go out to your Board of Directors, our property manager Paul McKinney and our resident manager Eddie Martin for their efforts on behalf of our community.
The Board of Directors will be having a meeting in May and one of the topics of discussion will be to identify our goals for the coming year. One goal that will be a given will be to maintain our strong financial position. I think everybody would agree that this remains priority number one of our community. As to setting other goals for 2019, we would love to hear from you. Browning Creek is your home, your community.
I hope to continue the good work of our past presidents to push our community forward and make it the best it can be. Please do not hesitate to contact one of your Board of Directors, Paul or me to offer your thoughts on how to improve what already is the best community in the Starkville area.
Perry

I wish I had better circumstances under which to introduce myself as your newly elected president. Unfortunately, this weekend, our neighborhood has been hit by a tornado/twister. I am pleased to announce that nobody was hurt. Our marina, though, suffered severe damage. The cleanup and recovery of the boats began right away. Before I get into the details of where we are and where we are going, I hope you all will join me in expressing our deepest gratitude to all those who volunteered to get us through this natural disaster. A special thanks goes to our new property manager, Paul McKinney. Also, a very special thanks goes to our neighbor, Shannon Hammett who brought out his tow truck from City Alignment. And, of course, a special thanks to everyone who came out to help. It truly showed the spirit of the Browning Creek community. Here are a few facts for you to know. We will keep you posted.

We have looked into our insurance and we are waiting for the adjuster to come and provide an assessment. At this time, we do not know if they will provide just a check or will bring their own contractor. In the event we receive a check, we will seek out a contractor according to the insurance policy requirements. We will share with everybody the plan for rebuilding the marina, fixing the pavilion, and removing the debris, including trees, as soon as we can.

All the boats have been turned right side up and anchored at the south boat launch. Thanks to Shannon and many others, there was no cost incurred in this recovery effort.

The floating debris from the marina have been almost completely taken care of. Everything recovered from the lake has been stored in the long-term parking area. Feel free to check for things you might be seeking. Please be careful.

Although a lot has been done, we would like for everyone to be extremely cautious when using the lake. Some of the metal debris are still in the water. Should you identify such debris, please inform our property manager immediately. Also, out of an abundance of caution, we are restricting access to the pavilion. We are placing a no trespassing sign and ask that everyone comply. This area is still considered unsafe.

Again, I wish I had better circumstances to begin my tenure as president. I am, however, extremely touched and proud of being your president as you have demonstrated to be a true community when it comes caring for each other. I look forward to serving as you president for the remainder of the year.

I hope everyone is ready for warmer days! Spring is here and the plants are starting to bloom.

Below are a few updates that I wanted to share with everyone.

The Browning Creek Board of Directors meet Tuesday, March 6th. Within the next few days, I will have our communications committee post on our website the minutes from the January Board meeting, now that they have been approved. I will also make sure we get the financial statements posted as well. The Board took up the following items during the meeting:

Approved our 2018 budget which will be mailed to everyone within a week.

Approved a new contract for Ware Landscaping to continue taking care of Browning Creek.

Addressed and approved several items concerning the culvert issue on Browning Creek Rd. I will send a separate message next week on our short and long term plan to address the issue.

Approved pressing charges against anyone who is caught poaching our fish. I will also send a separate message about this next week.

Approved adding a new key pad on Robinson Road at the east gate entrance.

Approved refinancing the mortgage on the 44 acres we own at the front of Browning Creek.

Please don’t forget our annual meeting will be Saturday, April 7th at 10:00 AM. You will receive a packet of information in the mail next week about the meeting. I encourage everyone to attend and get an overview of all the changes we have made over the past year.

We have four community members, Mark Jackson, Carlton Polk, Les Lindley and Benjamin Good that have agreed to serve on the board. Their names will be brought forward for nomination at the annual meeting. Of course, we will also ask all in attendance at the annual meeting if there are any additional nominations. Many thanks to Mark, Carlton, Les and Benjamin for serving!

We have done a lot of work to North Estates Road trying to get it back in shape. We also added more rock to one of the large culverts on the north end of the lake. We are also adding a “Dead End” sign at the beginning of the road.

Again, I encourage everyone to attend the annual Meeting on April 7th. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about Browning Creek, please feel free to email me directly at kpm137@msstate.edu or by phone at (662)803-6200.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas holiday! Below are a few updates that I wanted to share with everyone.

During the April 2017 annual meeting, I presented everyone in attendance with a budget for the year. That budget estimated that on December 31, 2017 we would have $2.99 in our operating account. However, after making some fundamental changes to the management of our community over the past year, I am pleased to announce we ended the year with $27,565 in our operating account. I will go into more detail about this positive cash position during the April 2018 annual meeting.

Our Annual meeting will be on Saturday, April 7, 2018. Within the next month I will mail everyone some important information about the meeting. I encourage everyone to attend and participate in the management of our community.

There are several current Browning Creek board members (myself included) that have decided to step off the board. This is an opportunity for our community to get some fresh ideas and new points of view on the board. If you are interested in serving on the board, please let me know by email at kpm137@msstate.edu on or before February 15th.

The November and December financial statements for Browning Creek and the Retreats are on our website. We have also added the minutes from the November Board of Directors meeting to the website. As we continue our full disclosure to everyone, we have also added the Browning Creek Neighborhood Utility Services Inc. (sewerage) financial statements to the website and the bi-laws as well.

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about Browning Creek, please feel free to email me directly at kpm137@msstate.edu or by phone at (662)803-6200. Again, I encourage everyone to consider serving on the Browning Creek Board of Directors. I believe Browning Creek is moving in a positive direction and this is your opportunity to help!

I have several updates to share with everyone as we continue to achieve our goals and follow the business plan that was discussed during the annual meeting last April. Below are my updates:

Association members can now make their homeowner’s assessment and road fund payments online! To do so, go to browningcreek.net and select “Services” from the menu bar across the top of the page. From there, simply follow the online instructions and complete the setup. Please do NOT make your quarterly sewerage payments through this online process. Sewerage payments must be mailed to the address on the statement.

In my last message, I discussed the upgrade to the computer CPU and memory for the system that runs the gate. We have been working hard to get the database cleaned up so that it only includes current Browning Creek Association members. Based on the association address book and other records, we have almost everyone who is a member updated. However, some of you will be receiving a letter within the next week or so letting you know that we need some additional information from you about your fob and/or gate remote. Please be on the lookout for this letter and respond as quickly as possible. It is NOT our intention to prevent any current association member from gaining access to our community!

We have posted the July and August financial statements for Browning Creek on the secure side of our website. If you have any questions after you review them, please feel free to call or email me.

Our overall financial situation is looking better than anticipated as we near the end of the year. Furthermore, during the final closeout of the operating account with David Lane & Associates, it was discovered that we had $8,100 in the account of uncashed checks that went back many years. The Board decided to move those funds to the cash reserve account.

The new burn pile for Browning Creek is up and running! Please keep in mind that we do NOT have the capability to process large trees. The burn pile is only for small trimmings. If you take a tree down on your property or have someone else do it, please dispose of it somewhere else other than our burn pile.

I spoke with our attorney concerning the case against Slade Kracker. The deadline to file an appeal was October 2nd. Mr. Kracker did not file an appeal, and of course, I’m sure most of you have noticed that the road is still on his property. The judge had ordered Mr. Kracker to “remove the roadway/access and restore the property to its former condition”. Our attorney has sent a letter to Mr. Kracker’s attorney requesting that the road be removed asap. If the road is not removed, we will file a motion with the court.

Many of our neighbors are putting in a lot of time and effort to help keep our community looking great. A special thanks to everyone that helped put out all the fall decorations at the front entrance. They look great!

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about Browning Creek, please feel free to email me directly at kpm137@msstate.edu or by phone at (662)803-6200.